NEWS NOTES 211 



is one of the announcements for the modern school experiment to be tried out 

 at Cokimbia and it gives expression to those things which the Nature-vStudy 

 movement has stood for since its inception. This is a matter of rejoicing to us 

 all and especially so to Dr. Edward F. Bigelow, who gives a lengthy editorial in 

 The Guide to Nature showing how Pres. Elliott's ideas were a part of the Agassiz 

 Association plan from the first. Dr. Bigelow pays tribute to Mr. Harlan H. 

 Ballard for his great work in first organizing the Agassiz Association and thus 

 bringing to bear an important influence in the direction of this new education 

 upon the children of the United States. 



Prof. P. G. Holden, Director Agricultural Extension Department, Inter- 

 national Harvester Company, has issued a very timely and much needed 

 circular, on how to vitalize the teaching of agriculture in the rural schools; he 

 says, with truth, "the teaching of agriculture in rural schools never will be a 

 success so long as we teach the same thing over and over again, year after year, 

 or allow the teacher to skim all the branches and leave a subject barren and 

 uninteresting for the teacher who follows the next year," and his remedy for 

 this is to rotate the subjects and suggests a four year rotation. "This method 

 enables us to teach more agriculture, eliminates repetition, gives us a new field 

 subject each year, keeps interest alive and keen, does not kill the subject by 

 skimming or teaching the same thing over and over again." 



Teachers interested should send to the International Harvester Company, 

 Chicago, for the circular; its suggestions are truly valuable. 



The Brooklyn Botanic Garden offers a six weeks' summer course in gardening 

 from July 5 to August 16. The course is not only one of theory but of practical 

 outdoor garden work in gardening and also work in the garden with children, 

 so that one is prepared to work in children's gardens or in community gardens. 

 The fee for this course is $20.00 For further information write to the Secretary 

 Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



Miss Margaret Aherne, who has been teaching Nature-Study in the Gary 

 schools, writes of her live equipment for teaching: 



"I have two opossums and one has about eight young. I also have two nice 

 fat rabbits now besides an alligator, pigeon, rats, turtles, frogs, salamanders, 

 etc. I have nineteen new gold fish and a new castle. Altogether I have about 

 70 fish. My number of snakes increase daily. At the last counting I had 

 fifteen." 



